Emperor's abdication moves ever closer

TOKYO - The Japanese government on Friday approved a one-off bill allowing aging Emperor Akihito to step down from the Chrysanthemum Throne, in the first such abdication in two centuries.

The bill will now be sent to Parliament for debate and likely receive swift final approval, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Cabinet signed off on the legislation.

Abdication must take place within three years of the bill becoming law.